Vanuatu daily news digest | 7 November 2014

Radio Vanuatu News reports questions concerning exam papers for Year 12, allegedly containing many mistakes, raised by the Luganville lycée. It was said these mistakes are likely to have confused the students. VBTC also refers to the new Vanuatu centred curriculum being introduced in certain classes from next year.

Daily Post today leads with the Airports Vanuatu Limited Portfolio being moved back to Infrastructure from Foreign Affairs following the court hearing a week ago which changed the board back to the previous one and following orders from the shareholders, the ministers of finance and infrastructure. More is likely to be heard concerning these moves in due course.

More is also likely to be heard concerning the refusal to permit a march through town in support of the Vanuatu people’s Investment and Equity Fund because of the Commissioner of Police not approving. He is said to have refused because a leader of the march was Parliament Clerk Louis Kalnpel "a member of a hoax agent recruiting ni-Vanuatu for Australia." This curious statement was never explained. Nor has the Fund been adequately introduced by its leaders.

A meeting between high officials of the Co-operatives Department and MSG has explored ways in which the MSG could assist Vanuatu in trade agreements and capacity development. Practical points were the constraints found by local producers such as lack of availability of equipment to produce cassava or manioc flour which could be exported to Fiji and New Caledonia.

A Vanuatu Economics Society has been launched. The President is Dr Hililan of the Reserve Bank. Vice President is David Hopa at the MSG. The Society wants to to encourage members to engage in debate on economic issues.

In Daily Post Letters today the Vanuatu Seafarers’ Association points out to the Vanuatu Shipping Registry that 7,000 seafarers have been trained by the Vanuatu Maritime College without any provision having been made by government or the shipping registry for them to be placed on Vanuatu flag-carrying ships of the registry.